I work well under pressure: Sajid Nadiadwala

By HT

Mumbai, April 8 -- Last year, he produced four films - Highway, 2 States (co-production with Karan Johar), Heropanti and Kick - and all of them went on to hit the bullseye at the box office. But despite the successes, film-maker Sajid Nadiadwala reveals that he does feel the pressure.

"This year, too, we have very different kinds of films lined up, like the Saif Ali Khan-and-Katrina Kaif-starrer. Plus, I have a responsibility towards the audience. So, in a way, that also creates pressure, and pressure brings responsibility," says Sajid, adding, "But I work well under pressure."

At the moment, Nadiadwala is "happy" about Kick bagging multiple nominations at the prestigious Taurus World Stunt Awards (that is held in Los Angeles, USA, every year), and for getting the Italian honour (he has been felicitated by Italian representatives in India) for celebrating the country through his films.

"When, as a kid, I used to win a medal in school, or when I used to represent Maharashtra in football, I would always think, 'Will I get such recognitions again?' Today, such honours give me a high, since these are not just for me, but for the entire country," he says.

Sajid Nadiadwala says that despite having several releases in the pipeline, he never feels exhausted as he "enjoys" his work. "From 10.30 am, I am constantly at work. It's my passion as well as my profession. My life is only about movies," says the film-maker.

Some of Sajid's films that are set to hit the screen this year feature popular names like Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan and John Abraham. He also has Vishal Bhardwaj's next, and the Magadheera (2009) remake. "Be it planning shoots or scripting, I am involved with all my films. Though I am a chilled out person, when it comes to work, I am very serious. I have never taken my work casually," says Sajid.

The film-maker is known for producing various kinds of movies. When asked how he manages to understand the sensibilities of different makers, he says, "At one point in my career, I used to make just one film at a time. But as a creative person, I want to dabble in different kinds of stories. Also, if you keep doing the same kind of films, you reach a point of saturation. So, be it Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Rohit Shetty or Vishal, they all come with their different sensibilities and flavours. As a producer, you constantly interact and learn from the best in the industry."

Ask him about the possibility of a Kick (2014) sequel, and he says that he and Salman Khan are working on the story. "The idea of the story for the sequel has come from Salman. But I don't think we will start work on it for the next two years. We are both working on the script of the sequel individually," he says.